RE: Wheel Bearings on a 7 year old pop-up - Shuld I?
If I remember correctly it was on RV.net that I learned that tires should be replaced after 7 years. So while you’re worrying about bearings you might also worry about tires.
(And you got a pop-up to be more economical?)
Subaru. ’94 GoldWing 1500 SE
2012 Roll-A-Home, Eagle 1 trailer
GWRRA, Thousand Trails, IBMC
(We’ve downsized)

RE: Interesting places along the route (& a question)
Fill - I think the place west of Chicago you're looking for might be House on the Rock. It's in SW Wisconsin, maybe near a town called Spring Green. I haven't been there yet, read about it and may get there someday. .
Hi,
Thank You for putting me on the right track. It’s just outside of Dodgeville, Wisconsin. I’ll plan a stop there next summer on my “Island Hopping Tour” (Vancouver to Prince Edward)
Subaru. ’94 GoldWing 1500
2012 Roll-A-Home, Eagle 1 trailer
GWRRA, Thousand Trails, IBMC
(We’ve downsized)

Interesting places along the route (& a question)
When I stop to change fluids (me and / or bike) I like to talk to people. Always we begin with the bike / destination, and what they rode when they were kids. Then I ask a question or two and then listen. And most people are proud of the places they have picked to live and will tell about it. I’ve found some very interesting stops that way.
One of the nicest surprises I’ve found along the way is Osoyoos, British Columbia.
Just above the Washington border on TransCanada 3. There’s a huge (It fills the top floor of a warehouse) Model Train Museum. You can spend several hours there, and enjoy every minute.
Since I wanted to return the next day I decided to stay the night. There are several motels in town but with the Roll A Home in tow I found a campground. A local tribe is establishing a very nice resort which will include a campground right on the beach of Lake Osoyoos. I slept very well.
Since we’re talking (sort of) here’s a question. I have been told of a unique museum west of Chicago (I believe). It’s in a small town with multiple buildings in an unplanned pattern. The museums focus is on odd things from the 1950 and 60’s. Somewhere I read that there is a merry go round and mirrors in the initial entry and after that a long hall that leads to other sequential buildings.
If I remember correctly it was imagined by a ner-do-well with too much money.
Does any of this sound familiar?
With the miles you’ve driven I’m sure you can add your own story, and maybe place the museum.
Fill
’94 GL 1500 SE Extras: SIRUS Satellite Radio, Garmin GPS, SADDLEMAN Road Sofa and Touring Luggage, Touring Floodlights, Multiple Deer Whistles.
Pulling an ’80 Eagle 1 Trailer or ’12 Roll A Home (wide bed, brakes)
(And now new member of the INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF MOTORCYCLE CAMPERS)

RE: Drought/Water Shortage
Unless the campground you are paying for is San Simeon State Park. Alert as of today on the reservation website: "Attention: San Simeon State Park has been declared a Stage 3 Drought Emergency. In order to meet the park's basic water needs,
Have the pools at Hearst Castle been Drained? If we ever leave No Idaho for a trip to So. Cal that a very nice day stop.
Fill

RE: Do you RV without your significant other?
OH Yes, we frequently RV Separately, to be able to do this we each designed our own 40 foot Prevost.
My wife’s’ theme color is pink and she has a very large bed and bed room with Flamingoes in the cut glass mirrors. With all the slides out it’s like having a ballroom that would be the envy of even Lawrence Welk. With the entire orchestra in their pit the stage is set for the evening, especially when the hidden bubble machines begin.
As the party winds down in the late evening she can turn on the haunting blue and green lights in the ceiling that emphasize the enclosed fish tanks that run the length of the coach.
There is an escalator mid-coach that leads either to the pool and spa on the roof, or the Italian sports car she transports in the basement.
My Presidential model XXXXIII is much more subdued. The interior color scheme is of rich brown leathers and luster black granite. With the slides out I can accommodate a 24 seat I-Max theatre.
Mid-coach is the brain center of entertainment. Three 80-inch screens that can double as either closed circuit satellite receivers or game console screens. It’s there that the “to Die For” wet bar is placed. This are area can be closed off from the formal dining area, or opened up for tennis matches.
I did have to sacrifice at least one option, no escalator, but the basement does carry my Maserati and 2 Harleys, a MotoGuzzi and a BMW.
Our drivers and staff have their own RV.
:W
Fill :C

RE: A POP UP FROM A DIFFERENT FAMILY
Hello Again Rexlion,
Picture this: There are two separate mattresses. The mattress for the slide is ½ inch more shallow because the slide platform sits up ½ inch above the main platform. End result is the total mattress surface is level.
Now that we have established that the mattress is split. The larger piece covers the entire box, and its support is hinged so that it can be opened from the ‘living room’. And yes, there is a support stanchion so you can keep it open.
On your trip if its “Let’s stop and take a break at that next rest area” the whole top half which includes the whole bed, mattress, tent material and floor of the living area is on a piano hinge and easily tilts up for easy access and is supported by pressure struts, like on a station wagon.
Subaru. ’94 GoldWing 1500
2012 Roll-A-Home, Eagle 1 trailer
GWRRA, Thousand Trails
(We’ve downsized)

RE: A POP UP FROM A DIFFERENT FAMILY
Hi Rexlion,
Those are questions that echoed my own before I bought the trailer. I had never seen one before we moved from SoCal to northern Idaho (Sandpoint). I know that Billy and Sheila, who own the RAH company, have many non- motorcycle people that buy the trailer for car camping.
Probably the answer is that there is more usable space in the trailer. I still have a 10X10 (6 man) Cabelas tent with vestibule. If I set up that size sleeping area it takes up a lot of the floor space.
In the trailer I have the king size bed size plus the 4 X 6 ½ feet of solid floor, and since I can get STUFF out of the basement at any time I don’t have as much clutter.
Incidentally, depending on you emotional ties you can sleep in either direction on that mattress. When we went to Yellowknife Tim slept on the bed slide; it has a 300 lb. weight capacity with the two struts in place. My wife sleeps much closer. :)
The tent obviously sits lower to the ground so the winds are less of a factor but with the trailer I have easily endured 70 mph wind and rain coming off of Lake Osoyoos in BC. I carry a little rope so I just staked out the 4 permanent islets on the trailer and the whole unit was fine. The trailer is waterproof and plus I spray it annually with STARBRITE Marine water proofer.
Fill
Subaru. ’94 GoldWing 1500
2012 Roll-A-Home, Eagle 1 trailer
GWRRA, Thousand Trails
(We’ve downsized)

A POP UP FROM A DIFFERENT FAMILY
I just received my April edition of Trailer Life. The cover article concerns downsizing to a smaller toad. I have one of the marquees that was not mentioned in the story “Roll A Home” and I think people should know about it.
The empty weight is a little less than 400 lbs. and it tows well behind my Subaru or motorcycle. It’s true that it doesn’t have a piped in propane stove or electricity but it does have a storage basement of 3½ ft. by 6 ft. which works out to about 18½ cubic feet for storing your camping STUFF. I keep my digital TV, DVD player, heater, electrical hookups, a couple of chairs and two small tables.
It’s accessible whether the sleeping area is set up or not.
There are many things I like about my RAH, but the top 3 are:
It has a real floor, not a tent floor
The king sized bed
The wall fabric is double lined so there are no
silhouettes for people to watch
There are several options available including an attached 7 X 7 room and / or a 7 X 7 screened room for long term camping.
We’re pulling the trailer out of the garage for our 3rd camping season, and so far the trailer has about 13, 000 miles on it; from the Arctic Circle to Elvis’s house in Memphis. Probably slept in it more than 50 nights.
This isn’t a paid ad, but we have been happy with ours and thought you should know. It’s a good product.
Fill
Subaru. ’94 GoldWing 1500
2012 Roll-A-Home, Eagle 1 trailer
GWRRA, Thousand Trails
(We’ve downsized)

The road less traveled… there is a reason
Here are a couple of “Bad Road” experiences I’ve had. But with all your experience I’m sure you can add yours.
We had had a very nice stay in Sedona, Az. We had been looking for an area to retire but Sedona was a little too pricey. Talking to people we found that the Prescott Valley was also very nice so we decided to wend our way down there, by way of Jerome with our TT behind.
OMG!!! We traveled down 89. The road surface was good; the road was completed in ’93 . On one side the asphalt went right to the shear rock cliff on the other side there were intermittent guard rails with a straight down 10,000 foot drop. Well it seemed like it anyway.
The map showed a few wrinkles and nudges but the actual road was double backs, switch backs and ‘why don’t you just turn backs’.
Like I said the road went right up to the cliffs and the lanes were no wider so you had to drive over the yellow line and hope you didn’t meet smother RV. There was one good thing; the climb was so steep that only one of the vehicles had the option of speeding.
WE MADE IT!!! My wife crossed herself and then got out and kissed the ground.
And another
My wife doesn’t travel with me on my motorcycle much. And it was on a two wheeled trip that I found this road.
It was on as Three Flags Classic run where the trip length is ~ 2500 miles of back roads within a 72 hour windows to get your little pin. So you have to hurry right along!
That year we came out of Canada headed for Tijuana. It was between 10:00 pm and Midnight coming down the coast on Ca 1 just a few feet above sea level and had to turn left up the back road to what had been a military reservation, Fort Bragg.
It was not a straight shot from sea level to around 100 feet of elevation on the short road. The roadway didn’t meander to give one memorable view of the Pacific, there were multiple had acute turns of 210, 270, and 360 degrees.
Possibly because of minimal use the roadbed had not been maintained which led to even fewer vehicles… until the ~ 300 bikes of the 3 Flags Classic came along. There were families if potholes with some of them possibly conceived with the 1906 earthquake that hit the area. There were patches of loose gravel everywhere, but especially inside the radical turns.
Thru the night I guided the big GL on the upward climb. We made it! And we heard of no accidents at dinner / closing ceremonies.
Fill
Subaru. ’94 GoldWing 1500
2012 Roll A Home, Eagle 1 trailer
GWRRA, Thousand Trails
(We’ve downsized)

RE: Oh my, getting old
Boy do I understand!
I’m 73 and planning a 7000 mile motorcycle trip, across the horizontal plane of Canada. I’m going to get all those providences colored in on my map before I cash in. And then down to Ohio to see daughter possibly for the last coherent time.
But let me say this about that. I’ve worked Intensive Care for several decades. I have seen a lot of people work their whole life just for retirement; so they can travel, and then die 6 months after quitting the job.
YOU ARE WAY AHEAD OF THE GAME!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Fill
Subaru. ’94 GoldWing 1500
2012 Roll A Home, Eagle 1 trailer
GWRRA, Thousand Trails
(We’ve downsized)

RE: What's the worst storm you have been in while camping?
Three:
With a Tent and a motorcycle to Long Beach Washington. Continuous heavy heavy rain for five days! Fortunately I was in a Thousand Trails cg and just kept extending. The Cabela’s tent stayed dry the whole time.
On the beach at Lake Osoyoos, British Columbia; Night storm with rain and 60 – 70 mph winds. I carry extra rope and pegs to stabilize the Roll-A-Home. No sleep, but everything was fine.
Travel trailer in the high desert of So California (Acton). A worse than usual wind storm came up and branches were blowing everywhere. Cg ranger went to one
Class A and told them to move. He said he couldn’t his wife was in the shower and would be very upset if disturbed. An hour later they left and shortly after that their whole shade tree blew over, in the same area the shower would have been in.
A few rows from us a huge limb went through a pop up, No one was hurt.
Fill
Subaru. ’94 GoldWing 1500
2012 Roll A Home, Eagle 1 trailer
GWRRA, Thousand Trails
(We’ve downsized)

RE: Audio Books
On my I phone, and probably any other Apple Communication product or SMART phone, I have both Books that I read, and Books that are read to me. There are both FREE and PAY A FEE apps.
Incidentally, Home Depot had a Christmas sale on Bluetooth Shower speakers (with suction cups that will stick to your windows), for improved sound $9.99.
Fill
Subaru, ’94 GoldWing 1500
2012 Roll A Home, Eagle 1 trailer
GWRRA, Thousand Trails
(We’ve downsized)

RE: Unusual places you have stayed the night.
I did part of my growing up in Wray Colorado. It’s on the plains and we could see both Nebraska and Kansas from the farm. I knew that it may have changed in 65 years but I didn’t realize how much.
I stopped at the police station in town and asked about camping. They told me to use the local city park, and that it was safe … and because I was there they would have more frequent patrols. It was beautiful.
It rained all night and in the morning when I awoke one of the joggers going through the park was our old neighbor, who had moved to town. He suggested checking with the Yuma County Court House about a deed.
My Dad had inherited land from his mother. I am now part owner of 1400 acres of Colorado grazing land.
We were in Sioux City and it had been a long day and we were ready for bed. Unfortunately there was a convention in town and hotel rooms were not readily available.
We were directed to a downtown hotel with the understanding that it had been very classy IN ITS DAY.
They had rooms and we checked in, then asked where we could safely leave the bikes. The night manager asked if they leaked oil. We said they were all Hondas and never leaked. His response was ‘Bring’m in here’. All 5 bikes fit easily in the huge lobby and we used hotel towels so that we wouldn’t mar the real wood floors.
Next morning the day manager was most upset, and our friend was now an ex-employee.
It was dark, cold and rainy in the road construction around Sheridan Wyo. I finally found a motel & pulled in. Because of the construction crews and travelers no room was available. They said it wound be OK to open up my motorcycle camper BEHIND THE BUILDING & BE GONE BEFORE DAY SHIFT CAME IN AT 07:00. The all-night rain stopped at 06:00.
Fill
’94 GL 1500 SE Extras: SIRUS Satellite Radio, Garmin GPS, SADDLEMAN Road Sofa and Touring Luggage, Touring Floodlights, Multiple Deer Whistles.
Pulling an ’80 Eagle 1 Trailer or ’12 Roll A Home (wide bed, brakes)

RE: Any hints to score a reservation on Recreation.gov
I now live in Sandpoint, ID (Don’t know how to change my personal info on the left). All of the forest service campgrounds around here are closed until spring. They, and and their reservations, are closed for the winter. They won't open for several months
Fill

RE: BIG Waste Water Tote Wanted
When we started we were told to empty the black tank first, Then empty the Baker. Secondly drain the gray tank.
Bad: 2 Trips
Good: less weight per trip
Helps clean the hose
Cleans / dilutes anything left in the Baker
Fill

RE: Has anyone had a run in with any WILD animals?
I was young and without money or class.
On a motorcycle trip to the south I pulled in late to the gov’t Campground and put up my tent. Next morning I was up just after 6:00 AM ready to go.
It was a scene I’ll never forget. The foggy haze was just lifting as I went along the rural road. Off to my right were a large buck and doe. I slowed to their pace and we ran parallel for 500 yards. They ran into the thicket and I went on down the road for biskets and grits.
Fill
’94 GL 1500 SE Extras: SIRUS Satellite Radio, Garmin GPS, SADDLEMAN Road Sofa and Touring Luggage, Touring Floodlights, Multiple Deer Whistles.
Pulling an ’80 Eagle 1 Trailer or ’12 Roll A Home (wide bed, brakes)